The Flora of Rancho La Puerta

Kudos to designer Sara Livia Brightwood for her work at fitness resort and spa in Tecate, Baja California (just across the border from San Diego). The world-class resort, in a drought-prone region, is a model for low-water landscape-design. For example, fields seeded with poppies and lupines.

I was there when the aloes were in bloom. Massing them really makes an impact.

This blue-and-white tiled fountain is the focal point of an outdoor dining area shaded by olive trees. Rosemary shrubs flanking the pathway are waterwise and scent the area with a sweet, herbal fragrance.

Potted geraniums enhance the entry to La Cocina Que Canta (the Kitchen that Sings), the Ranch’s new cooking school.

Low-water succulents and cacti look great in containers. (I have, in fact, a book coming out on that topic next spring.) Here, California desert bluebells (Phaecelia campanularia) make a delicate counterpoint to a barrel cactus (Echinocactus grusonii).

One of the native succulents growing at the Ranch is Shaw’s agave (Agave shawii).

Flowering ice plants zing with a satiny sheen. This unusual white variety (likely in the genus Lampranthus) grew as a groundcover near my casita.

My week at Rancho La Puerta was over too soon. On the last day, I walked the labyrinth in the oak grove. It was an enriching meditative experience, but all the while I was thinking: What a great use of hardscape!

Award-winning garden photojournalist Debra Lee Baldwin authored Designing with Succulents, Succulent Container Gardens, and Succulents Simplified, all Timber Press bestsellers. Her goal is to enhance others' enjoyment and awareness of waterwise plants and gardens by showcasing the beauty and design potential of succulents via books, articles, newsletters, photos, videos, social media and more. Debra and husband Jeff live in the foothills north of San Diego. She grew up in Southern California on an avocado ranch, speaks conversational Spanish, and at age 18 graduated magna cum laude from USIU with a degree in English Literature. Her hobbies include thrifting, birding and watercolor painting. Debra's YouTube channel has had over 3,000,000 views.

thanks for sharing your pictures of the poppies. I miss seeing poppies that grow in California. Every year in Lancaster, CA they have a field of poppies that is really beautiful to look at.Hi, Duralee—I’m a huge poppy fan, too. Be sure to see my earlier post about the CA poppies in my garden! Debra